The Grand Solutions programme invests in ambitious, and preferably, interdisciplinary research and innovation projects that can create new, specific solutions to important, politically prioritized societal challenges and create value throughout Denmark.
To the extent possible, the Grand Solutions programme invests in projects that are carried out in close collaboration between research institutions and the business community.
Application deadline: August 16, 2022, 12.00 PM, CET
Project duration: 1-5 years
Total budget: Minimum 187.3 mill. DKK.*
Investment per project: from 5 mill. DKK to 40 mill. DKK.
*With the possibility of transferring funds from Innovation Fund Denmark's other programmes. The potential transfer of funds can concretely result in an increased budget.
Aim of the call
Innovation Fund Denmark’s investment within Realization of the four green missions shall contribute to creating knowledge and technology that can ensure the course of the green transition towards a more sustainable society. This in order for Denmark to achieve the government’s goals of 70 percent reduction of greenhouse gas emission by 2030 and CO2 neutrality by 2050, while at the same time achieving the goals for nature, environment and biodiversity.
Denmark must be frontrunner in green research and innovation, which contribute to maintain and create green jobs. To the extent possible, the research must be carried out in close collaboration between research institutions and the business community.
For the four green missions, launched with the ‘Agreement on the distribution of the research reserve etc. in 2021’, additional funds are available for strategic and challenge-driven research in 2022. A part of these additional funds will be invested through the Grand Solutions program. The areas for the four green missions are as follows:
- Capture and storage or use of CO2 (see roadmap1 and roadmap2)
- Green fuels for transport and industry (Power-to-X etc., see roadmap1 and roadmap2)
- Climate- and environment-friendly agriculture and food production (see roadmap 3)
- Circular economy with focus on plastics and textiles (see roadmap 4)
The themes within the green missions focus on areas where it is most important to develop new technology and solutions in order to meet Denmark’s climate goals, and strengthen nature and environment, and where Denmark, due to the position of strength within research and business, has good prerequisites to develop new technologies and solutions and create new industries, export opportunities and green jobs in Denmark.
The funds can be applied for by participants in the green mission-driven partnerships and other relevant operators. It will be beneficial if the project is linked closely to the roadmaps, which the green mission-driven partnerships are based on. If the project is not closely linked to one of the roadmaps mentioned above, then the application must clearly describe its relevance to one or more of the four green missions.
Innovation Fund Denmark encourages the project to contribute to at least one of the four green missions, and recommends the applicant to include a plan for coordination with the relevant green mission-driven partnership(s) in the description of the project.
Evaluation
The three overall decision criteria are:
- Quality of the idea – the quality of the research and innovation
- Impact – value creation during and after the project
- Quality of execution – efficiency in the project execution and the implementation of the results
Further information about the decision criteria can be found in the guidelines for this Grand Solutions call (scroll down and see link in section: “Guidelines and inspiration”).
It is emphasized that key stakeholders of the project contributes to develop the project and participates in, or in other ways are directly involved in, the project, e.g. through investment.
Also, particular importance should be paid to describing the projects quantified contribution (as far as possible) to the reduction of CO2 equivalents / greenhouse gas emission - both in Denmark and globally. Additional value creation in the project should not only be understood as monetary value, but may also encompass e.g. improved quality of life, nature conservation / recovery, increased biodiversity, cleaner environment etc. It is the applicant's responsibility to explain and account for the different types of value creation.
In addition to the three decision criteria, reference is made to the guidelines for this Grand Solutions call. The distribution of the funds originates from the current Finance Act and the agreement on the disposition of the Research Reserve (scroll down and see links under section: “Guidelines and inspiration”).
The evaluation process
Applications to Grand Solutions must be submitted via www.e-grant.dk, which is the application portal of Innovation Fund Denmark. The call open in e-grant May 12, 20221. Please note, that applicants will receive a receipt for submitting the application.
The slightly modified evaluation process is described in detail in the guidelines for this Grand Solutions call and briefly outlined below.
Applicants are notified of the decision via www.e-grant.dk. E-grant has prepared a FAQ that can be accessed here.
It is expected that the project applications will receive either invitation for investment negotiations or rejection of application in January 2023, after which the investment negotiations can be initiated with an expected project start in Q2 2023.
Applicants within this Grand Solutions call must take into account the following:
- Guidelines for the Grand Solutions call: “Realization of the four green missions”
- The Danish government's green research strategy (in Danish)
- The green solutions of the future (in Danish)
The following can be used as inspiration to the application within the present Grand Solutions call:
- Finance Act 2022
- Disposition of the Research Reserve 2022
- UN’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDG)
- UN’s SDG goal 13: Climate action
- The 13 climate partnerships (in Danish)
- Link to local ”local business powerhouses” (In Danish: “erhvervsfyrtårne”) (In Danish)
- The green project bank (in Danish)
Innovation Fund Denmark hosts webinars on Grand Solutions where everyone is welcome to participate. Registration for upcoming webinars takes place via Innovation Fund Denmark's website here (scroll down to see upcoming events). You can also sign up for one of the webinars via the following direct links:
Frequently asked questions to Grand Solutions and related answers can be found on Innovation Fund Denmark’s website here.
Contact Information
For questions regarding formalities, Innovation Fund Denmark's Investment Officers may be contacted. In connection to this, please note that Investment Officers or other employees of the Innovation Fund Denmark are not allowed to answer specific questions regarding projects or ideas.
The following Investment Officers may be contacted regarding questions to this Grand Solutions call:
Connie Benfeldt (responsible for this Grand Solutions call)
Telephone number: 6190 5061
E-mail: connie.benfeldt@innofond.dk
Martin Søndergaard
Telephone number: 6190 5065
E-mail: martin.sondergaard@innofond.dk
Bo Frølund
Telephone number: 6190 5043
E-mail: bo.froelund@innofond.dk
Jakob Dahl Wedel
Telephone number: 6190 5031
E-mail: jakob.wedel@innofond.dk
Any legal entity in Denmark or abroad can be a project participant and receive funding from Innovation Fund Denmark eg.:
- Businesses
- Research institutions
- Public institutions
You can apply for funding for projects that create societal value and/or economic value in Danish public and private companies and/or from buyers in society, for example from citizens, the state, regions and municipalities.
A buyer can be an end user of the innovation, but it can also be a public or private investor who is willing to invest in the project after the Fund's commitment is completed.
It can be an advantage if the purchaser(s) of the project's results and other core stakeholders are involved as active participant(s) in the design of and through the project.
Grand Solutions projects will range from DKK 5,000,000 - 40,000,000
The money can co-finance expenses for salaries, equipment, other project-related costs, external services, etcetera.
The budget must include all direct project costs, meaning costs that can be directly attributed to the project, regardless of whether the costs are to be covered by Innovation Fund Denmark or will be covered by the project participants themselves or another party.
For further details, please see the programme guidelines.
The projects are of 1 to 5 years duration.
The application process for the Grand Solutions programme consists of two phases.
In phase 1, all interested applicants submit a short letter of interest, outlining their project. On this basis, applicants will either receive an invitation for phase 2 or a rejection.
In phase 2, the invited applicants submit a final application, describing their project in detail. When Innovation Fund Denmark has assessed all applications, the fund makes a decision as to which projects will be invited to enter negotiations for an investment agreement.
The application material for both phases must be created and submitted via the electronic application system: www.e-grant.dk. You must register as a user of the system with either a username and password or with NemID/MitID before you can create an application.
You create a new application by finding the correct call under "Search Options" and pressing "Start your application". Note that the list of search options is sorted alphabetically and that the names of all calls from Innovation Fund Denmark start with "IF".
You must write your application material for both phases in English.
You can find a guide to e-grant on the website of the Danish Ministry of Education and Research.
In both phases, the application consists of an electronic application form designed in the electronic application system e-grant (www.e-grant.dk), which you must fill out in English.
Your application must have an official title (maximum 180 characters including spaces), which briefly describes the project for which you seek investment. You must also enter an acronym.
Application for phase 1
In phase 1, the application is a letter of interest and must contain:
- Official project title and acronym
- Short summary of the project (maximum 600 characters)
- Expected total budget and duration of the project
- Requested total investment from IFD
- Foundation and concept of idea (maximum 1,800 characters)
- Quantifiable goals (maximum 1,200 characters)
- State of the art and competition (maximum 2,400 characters)
- Expected impact (maximum 1,200 characters)
- Contribution for up to 5 core project participants (maximum 600 characters per participant)
- Competences and experiences for up to 5 key persons in the project (maximum 600 characters per person)
In phase 1, the following appendices must be attached to the electronic form:
- Appendix A: Budget overview (obligatory)
- Appendix B: List of references (obligatory)
Download templates for the appendices below or from the electronic application form in e-grant.
Application for phase 2
In phase 2, the application is a full application. The content of the electronic application form for phase 2 and the corresponding appendices will be announced in the invitation to applicants who make it to the next round. You can find more information on which adjustments are allowed from phase 1 to phase 2 in the programme guidelines
You can also see a preliminary outline of the application form for phase 2 below – please note that this is only a preview of the expected application form and that the final form may be subject to change.
The programme text for Grand Solutions has been updated in February 2024. To learn more about the changes to Grand Solutions, visit our Q&A here.
The applications are assessed by four committees with members who convene and qualify evaluations on committee meetings. The committees have the competence to assess as well as make decisions and are thus the bodies in which applications are evaluated and decisions on investments are made.
The committees consist of 10-18 members, divided between established international researchers and impact specialist with extensive knowledge of Danish affairs.
In phase 2, the applications are also assessed by external evaluators, and evaluations that are subject to consultation are sent to the applicants as part of a consultation process.
Applicants who are not invited for phase 2 or to enter an investment agreement after phase 2 will receive a rejection stating why.
Special conditions in 2024:
In 2024, letters of interest for phase 1 of the application process will be assessed internally and by external evaluators (including a consultation process for applicants) and decided by Innovation Fund Denmark’s board of directors. The reason is that the new committees are introduced for the first time in 2024 and will not be functional until later this year. Applications for phase 2 will be evaluated by the new committees in the second half of 2024.
Applications for the Grand Solutions programme are evaluated based on three overall decision criteria:
- Quality of idea
- Impact
- Quality of execution
You can find further information on the three overall criteria and their sub-criteria in the guidelines for phase 1 and phase 2 of Grand Solutions. Please note that the sub-criteria for the two phases are not identical.
In phase 1, applicants will receive either a rejection as response to their letter of interest or an invitation for phase 2, in which applicants must submit a full application. The decision will be notified to you via e-grant.
In phase 2, invited applicants will receive either a rejection or an offer of investment and thus an invitation to negotiate an investment agreement. The decision will be notified to you via e-grant.
Applicants for phase 1 of Grand Solutions will receive a response in 7-8 weeks (11 weeks in 2024 however).
Applicants who make it to phase 2 can expect 9 weeks of processing time in this phase and a total timeline of 9 months from submitting their letter of interest in phase 1 and until they receive a final decision in phase 2 (however, please expect up to 10 months in 2024).
The programme text for Grand Solutions has been updated in February 2024. To learn more about the changes to Grand Solutions, visit our Q&A here.
An investment from Innovation Fund Denmark is conditioned by the project parties entering into an investment agreement with the fund on the organisation of the project no later than 60 days after receiving the written invitation to investment negotiations.
The project must be started no later than 90 days after this investment agreement has been signed by all parties.
Innovation Fund Denmark may demand repayment of parts of the investment if the agreed conditions are not met. You can find more information in the investment agreement and the document containing the general terms and conditions for the programme.
Below, you will find the standard documents needed for the investment agreement negotiations.
You are free to choose whether you want to prepare the agreement in Danish or English.
The project can start as soon as there is an approved investment agreement and it must start no later than 90 days after the agreement has been signed by all parties.
The payment is generally made two times a year and is handled in collaboration with Innovation Fund Denmark and the financial administrator appointed by the project.
Innovation Fund Denmark is an active partner in all Grand Solutions projects and engages proactively with the project for its entire duration. Specifically, Innovation Fund Denmark appoints one or more investment officers to carry out this task.
The project follow-up and the requirements for accounts and reporting will be evident from the investment agreement that Innovation Fund Denmark enters into with each project.
Innovation Fund Denmark may terminate the investment ahead of time if the Fund considers that there is insufficient progress, the project proves aimless, or if the project is unable to achieve the objectives which the Funds' investment to the project is based upon.
There will be an ongoing dialogue between the appointed Investment Officer from the Innovation Fund as well as with the steering group of the project about the progression of the plan.
At the project's last steering group meeting, the completed accounts are reviewed and the project's progress and results are evaluated.
Since publication in February 2024, the following clarifications have been made to the guidelines:
- The overhead for hospitals and museums has been corrected to 3.1% and selected organisation types have been specified as Danish or non-Danish
- It has been specified that there are no limitations on budget changes performed between core project participants
- It has been specified that the main applicant is responsible for contact to IFD during the application process
- Clarifications have been made to the time frame for investments covered by the de minimis regulation
